• The NPOMC ordered ousted caretaker prime minister and 17 other cabinet members to report to it Friday.

• The NPOMC also ordered educational institutes to be suspended from Friday to Sunday.

BANGKOK, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's National Peace and Order Maintaining Council (NPOMC) announced Thursday that the country's constitution was temporarily suspended.

The announcement, following the military coup declared by army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha, added that the constitution's section 2, which states, "Thailand adopts a democratic regime of government with the King as Head of State," will be kept, according to the NPOMC's spokesman Winthai Suwaree.

The government was terminated, but the Senate and independent agencies will still be able to perform duties, Winthai said.

The NPOMC is headed by Prayuth, with the supreme commander, chiefs of air force and navy, and police chief serving as deputies.

The NPOMC ordered ousted caretaker prime minister Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan and 17 other cabinet members to report to it on Friday.

The NPOMC also ordered educational institutes to be suspended from Friday to Sunday.

Meanwhile, it ordered demonstrators of different political sides to stop rallying and return home. Political rallies with five people or more are banned, and those who defy the order could face prison time and fine.

BANGKOK, May 22 (Xinhua) -- The Thai military on Thursday staged a coup d'etat to overthrow an elected government and parliament and abolish the constitution following months of an unresolved political conflict.

Under the name of the National Peacekeeping Council, the military seized power and detained protest leaders, caretaker cabinet ministers and leading politicians at an army barracks after they had failed to reach agreement to end the seven-month- long political crisis. Full story

BANGKOK, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Thai Army Commander-in-Chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha on Thursday declared a coup, saying it was aimed at stopping further loss of life and preventing the conflict in the country from further escalating. Full story

BANGKOK, May 20 (Xinhua) -- The martial rule currently imposed in Thailand was primarily designed to prevent street chaos and bloodsheds, said army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha on Tuesday.

The martial law, declared by the army chief at 03.00 a.m. Tuesday and effective throughout the country, was basically meant to keep opposing sides of society from clashing with each other or triggering civil war, according to Gen Prayuth. Full story

BANGKOK, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's anti-government protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban said Saturday that if not enough people joined his campaign to pressure the remaining caretaker ministers to resign by May 26, he would stop fighting and turn himself in the very next day.

Suthep urged more than 1 million people to come out by May 26 to support his rally, saying otherwise, he would call an end to the street protest which had lasted for more than half a year.Full story